buddha1too

I don't think it's so much a mental tool as it is an emotional one, but accepting the fact I'm often powerless over the people, places and things in my life is an important guidepost. I can do my very best to control my actions and reactions to these factors, and limit the power I let them have over my emotional well-being. It's not easily done when serious BD episodes strike, though.

While you don't have to do this every day, what's the favorite part of your normal routine? Describe what it does for you.

whatever2013

I like watching my soaps at sunset. They're very amusing and i get pleasure out of them. I watch 3.5 hours worth so i really get to enjoy myself. I like the clothes and the decor almost as much as the story. They are all different. One is elegant, one is zany, one builds climaxes really well and one is sort of unremarkable.

What kind of eye-glasses do you like? Funky? Elegant? Subtle? Bold? Unique? Inconspicuous?

BeyondtheRainbow

I go with subtle yet colorful. My current ones are teal wtih some sand-color swirled in on the bottom.

Do you like to be warm or cold when you sleep?

__________________
Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 350 mg, Emsam 9 mg, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1200 mg & 100-400 mg PRN, 1.5 mg clonazepam, lots of meds for side effects and vitamins

lightly toasted

I like our bedroom cool so the temperature under the covers is just right.

Do you prefer to have the bed to yourself for sleeping, or do you like having another person there?

Nammu

Totally alone, not even my cat will sleep with me as I toss and turn too much for him. Now that I have a full sized bed the pillows mostly stay on the bed, but not always.

Do you collect anything? What?

__________________
Nammu
it always seems impossible until it's done..
Nelson Mandela

BeyondtheRainbow

Glass mice, most hand-painted. I had a very sad day last year when a transformer outside my house blew and the impact on my house knocked the shelves over and broke half my collection (and of course the most expensive ones).

Do you prefer a big store like Walmart or a smaller more community based (but much more expensive) for groceries? (welcome to my town )

__________________
Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 350 mg, Emsam 9 mg, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1200 mg & 100-400 mg PRN, 1.5 mg clonazepam, lots of meds for side effects and vitamins

Soupe du jour

Even if a Walmart had been closer, I would never have done regular shopping there. Walmarts just don't have the variety and quality of products I would want. I rather shopped at a large Shoprite market. That offered a huge variety (plus a lot of local population-based stuff), but was the cheaper of the options. Only occasionally would we go elsewhere, and usually only for some special item(s).

In Czech Republic, there are all sizes of grocery stores, too. When we actually go to one, we tend to go to a huge Globus. They have almost everything you would want. They have a good foreign foods selection, but when it comes to Czech food, it's a paradise. The more "regular-sized" places have fewer options. Some in-city places are more like bigger corner stores. We have actually been ordering online a lot since the pandemic. When in the US we ordered from a New York City based grocer or Whole Foods. In Czech Republic, we mostly order from rohlik.cz. Another online grocer is kosik.cz, but that's bigger closer to Prague than the city I'm now living in.

How much do you order online (Amazon, groceries, other)?

buddha1too

I order next to nothing online other than tickets to sporting, music, or arts events. We do in-person grocery shopping, & I'm not much of a consumer to begin with. My needs & desires are few...I'm a simple SOB. When I do need to buy something, I like to examine it with my own senses. With brick & mortar stores becoming a thing of the past, however, my mode of shopping may become a mere memory.

It's only Thursday, but there's a weekend coming up. Taking your limitations into consideration, what would your ideal April 17 & 18 look like?

raging vortex

honestly I think I'd just be happy with no pain, good mood, and some energy. all things that are currently failing me.
at what age were you told the truth about santa (or if you wern't, at what age did you figure it out?)

Soupe du jour

I was maybe 6 1/2 years old. My sister, who is 6 1/2 years older than me, told me. She even showed me where our mother hid the presents to be wrapped. I think it's sort of common that older siblings spill the beans. She also told me there was no Easter Bunny. I think I learned that even a year earlier. I believed in the Tooth Fairy about the longest. Maybe until almost 8 years old, then I figured out that it was my folks, on my own.

What special holiday custom does your family practice, that most families in your country don't?

buddha1too

Since my partner & I have lived together for 18 years, I'll consider this as part of my holiday custom. My partner is 100% Polish (none of her great-grandparents ever learned English). Food is a big part of true Polish holidays. At Christmas & Thanksgiving they always serve jellied pigs feet (disgusting, IMO), duck blood soup (also nasty), & pierogi (the good stuff!). Making pierogi is an all day affair that takes place a few days before the holiday...the dough & fillings are made from scratch, & there are different stations on the pierogi assembly line (it usually takes five people). In my primarily Anglo family, the closest thing that can be called "ethnic" or "exotic" is green jello salad!

How much do you know about your genealogy, or family history? Where did your family come from? When? Why? Or has this information been lost to history?

Nammu

I grew up with the Norwegian side very emphasized. The sweets breads and cookies especially and lutefisk and lefse. Now there are a few churches that make the lutefisk dinners but it doesn’t really get made at home anymore. Mum’s German side didn’t get a lot of say. But we’re very German in emotional baggage. The English side got totally overlooked along with the Czech side. Mum is 100% German and dads side only celebrated the Norwegian stuff.

Have you ever done a dna kit?

__________________
Nammu
it always seems impossible until it's done..
Nelson Mandela

Nammu

This is telling me my message is too short?

__________________
Nammu
it always seems impossible until it's done..
Nelson Mandela

Soupe du jour

I never did, but my sister did. I guess that's basically the same result, in terms of family background. I don't know if it told her anything significant about a medical propensity. Anyways, we knew where our family came from. No mysteries there. Our most recent immigrant ancestor was a great great great grandfather from Dublin, who was a famous horse jockey. All the rest were mostly from southern England, many from Devon from as far back as the late 1600s and early 1700s. Frankly, we feel much more like Central New Jerseyans (early American colonist) than of other backgrounds.

Do you feel more attached to your state (or section of a country) than the country as a whole?

BethRags

Definitely. I love California. There's so much beauty here, and I appreciate the progressive mind-set that most (certainly not all!) Californians have. I will say, however, that my family comes from Brooklyn and when I'm in NYC it sure feels comfortable to me.

Are ceiling fans popular where you live?

__________________
-Beth

BeyondtheRainbow

Yes

Do you paint your fingernails?

__________________
Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 350 mg, Emsam 9 mg, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1200 mg & 100-400 mg PRN, 1.5 mg clonazepam, lots of meds for side effects and vitamins

Nammu

Nope. Used to when I was younger, once set my nails on fire! 🔥 I had long nails and the nail polish was flammable. I was playing with a bic lighter using just my index finger to flame it and my nail caught on fire. Needless to say those days are behind me.

What your favorite section in a library or bookstore?

__________________
Nammu
it always seems impossible until it's done..
Nelson Mandela

Bipolarchic14

The section on finance.

Do you ever find yourself struggling with remaining present during a conversation?

whatever2013

If a conversation bores me i don't try to keep up with it. Life is too short.

Were you raised religious and did you enjoy it?

BethRags

I came from a Jewish family and ended up with Vedantism, Catholicism, Methodism figuring significantly in my life. Then I spent years avidly studying Buddhism. So yes, lots of religion and I cherish that part of my growing-up and young years.



What was the most recent show you binge-watched?

__________________
-Beth